Voices of Search Podcast Summary
Episode: SEO Jobs Week - What is happening in the SEO Job Market
Release Date: April 14, 2025
Host: Tyson Stockton
Guest: Nick Leroy, Founder of SEOjobs.com and Freelance Consultant

Introduction to the Episode

In this insightful episode of Voices of Search, host Tyson Stockton teams up with Nick Leroy to delve deep into the current landscape of the SEO job market. Together, they discuss their comprehensive SEO Jobs Week study, unveiling critical trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping the industry in 2025.

Background and Motivation

Nick Leroy shares his personal journey that led to the creation of SEOjobs.com. With 15 years of experience in SEO, including a decade on the agency side, Nick encountered significant challenges when traditional job platforms like Indeed and LinkedIn failed to effectively cater to SEO professionals. This gap inspired him to develop a dedicated platform to support SEOs in their career pursuits.

Nick Leroy [02:08]: "With all that, like I said, I'm very passionate about being put in a situation where you need to seek employment. And I just felt like this was a really big gap in our industry."

Methodology of the SEO Jobs Study

Tyson and Nick discuss the rigorous methodology behind their SEO Jobs Week study. They emphasize the importance of data accuracy, particularly through the de-duplication of job postings to identify unique opportunities rather than inflated numbers caused by repetitive listings.

Tyson Stockton [06:12]: "We came down to roughly around like 6,000 unique roles within the entire 2024 calendar year, and it was around 3,300 unique employers that were hiring for it."

Key Findings on the SEO Job Market

Job Posting Duplication

A significant issue identified is the rampant duplication of job postings, especially for remote positions. Companies often post the same role across multiple locations, misleading job seekers with inflated numbers.

Tyson Stockton [07:20]: "When we boiled it down, we came down to roughly like 6,000 unique roles... it's just one remote position that they posted 100 times in different cities."

Impact of AI on SEO Jobs

Nick expresses concerns about how advancements in AI and changes in search engine algorithms are impacting SEO roles. The rise of AI-driven tools like ChatGPT is reducing the reliance on traditional SEO tactics, potentially diminishing job opportunities, particularly at the entry level.

Nick Leroy [09:56]: "SEO used to be an opportunity for everybody to have a fair chance... That isn't the case anymore today."

Shifts in Job Numbers and Market Trends

The study reveals fluctuations in SEO job postings throughout the year, with Q2 showing the highest number of unique job listings. However, there's a noticeable decline in the latter half of the year, influenced by broader economic uncertainties such as upcoming elections.

Tyson Stockton [15:57]: "The hottest quarter was Q2, and it went down as the year progressed, similar to macroeconomic patterns."

Entry-Level Challenges and Skill Demands

Both hosts highlight the increasing difficulty for newcomers to break into the SEO field. The industry is moving away from "cookie-cutter" SEO practices, demanding more creative and critical thinking skills, which are harder to teach through traditional entry-level roles.

Nick Leroy [19:11]: "It's going to limit the amount of profitability for some individuals and they're gonna exit our industry."

Higher-Level Opportunities

Despite challenges at the entry level, there's a growing recognition of SEO's strategic importance within organizations. This has led to an increase in higher-level positions, such as Director of SEO roles, indicating a shift towards valuing seasoned expertise.

Tyson Stockton [19:32]: "There's greater recognition from larger organizations of the role and the need, resulting in more director and above roles."

Data Collection and Integrity of Job Postings

Nick elaborates on the extensive data collection process for the study, which involved crawling and scraping over 4,000 sources, with LinkedIn, ZipRecruiter, Indeed, and Glassdoor being the most prominent. He stresses the importance of data integrity, avoiding misleading salary bands and ensuring job postings are genuine and not duplicated.

Nick Leroy [20:18]: "Not every job is going to say stakeholder management, but they're going to have bullet points around that... critical to have accurate clustering."

Optimism and Future Outlook

While acknowledging the current challenges, both Tyson and Nick express optimism about the future of SEO. They believe that the industry's evolution towards more sophisticated and strategic roles will ultimately lead to better opportunities for those who adapt and enhance their skills.

Nick Leroy [17:51]: "The SEO industry has gone fat... it's gonna limit the amount of profitability for some individuals and allow those of us who stick around to pivot and test."

Conclusion and Resources

The episode concludes with Tyson and Nick encouraging listeners to leverage the insights from their study to navigate their careers effectively. They promote resources such as SEOjobs.com for finding legitimate SEO job opportunities and emphasize the importance of continuous learning and adaptation in a rapidly changing industry.

Nick Leroy [26:24]: "Hopefully, this data allows you to put data behind the real situation and find actionable steps for your career progression."

Additional Resources:

• Visit SEOjobs.com for the latest SEO job listings.
• Connect with Nick Leroy on LinkedIn.
• Follow Pre Visible IO for SEO consulting and organizational education services at PreVisible.io.

Notable Quotes:

• Nick Leroy [02:08]: "It's just been kind of a day in, day out, just a little bit of effort, trying to give back."
• Tyson Stockton [07:07]: "Some employers post the same job in multiple cities, flooding the market with duplicates."
• Nick Leroy [12:18]: "We're at a spot where we need to pivot how we define success in SEO."
• Tyson Stockton [17:51]: "There’s a groundswell happening in a very tight competitive market that you can take advantage of."

This episode provides a comprehensive overview of the current state and future direction of the SEO job market, offering valuable insights for professionals at all levels seeking to thrive in this dynamic field.